Lady
by The Solo Song Warrior
Summary: With her new duties, Sofia finds the fact that she has limited time with her family dawning on her. Luckily, her father brings a possible solution to the problem before it gets out of hand. Kailin was in the neighborhood at the right moment, displaying great magical abilities and utter kindness, but what is her abilities say about her mysterious past?*Also, some shipping later on;)


**Hey ya'll!**

**So I've recently been nostalgic and thinking back to when I watched Sofia the first when it was new, and I've had the urge to write an old fanfic idea of mine, despite the fact that it's a bit odd, in my opinion.**

**I own nothing of StF, only my OC and occasional lore that I add into the world or the show's background. If any of the stuff I add on my own matches to anything in reality, it is purely by coincidence. The rating for this story may also go up within time.**

**Also, this story takes about a year after the series ends, and I read somewhere that Sofia is eleven in season 4, so I'm just going off of that.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Sofia ate a nice, delicious, calm breakfast with her family. Well, most of her family. Her father was not in his usual seat at the front end of the long table, where he'd usually be going over his daily schedule with Baileywick as quickly as possible, trying hard to be able to enjoy his meal.

No, instead, his seat was empty, there was no breakfast sitting in front of his spot, and no Baileywick pestering as well. The two long time friends were nowhere to be seen. It puzzled and worried Sofia that something was wrong.

"Mom, where's Dad?" she asked, picking at a blueberry with her fork anxiously." "He said he had to see to some business so he had an earlier breakfast, but that it was nothing to worry about. In fact, he seemed to have a lightly happier than usual tone in his voice," Miranda said, giving her daughter a calming smile. Though it did help some, Sofia was a bit disappointed. With her duties as Storyteller and Protector, she had been busy, along with her studies and other activities. She was twelve now and had so much to do, but she wouldn't trade it for anything as long as she spent time with her friends and family as much as she could before the next mission.

Which was why her step-father's absence both bothered and saddened her.

Lost in her own thought, Sofia was about to take a sip of her orange juice when the sound of the doors swinging open and Baileywick's sudden voice caused her to spill some on her dress. Sofia winced as she watched a few droplets fall steadily off her amulet, furthering the stains.

"Pardon me for the sudden intrusion," Baileywick said, striding in. He seemed to especially mean that when he say how Sofia's dress had suffered through his quickened entrance. He really didn't mean to enter so quickly, but the events that he had just left made him a bit jumpy in a good way. "It's fine, Baileywick. It's only juice and a dress after all," she said, giving him a kind smile. He returned in quickly before speaking what he came here to speak.

"The King requires his family's audience at once. Especially you, Princess Sofia," he said, a smile still gracing his lips. Sofia tilted her head out of curiosity, wondering what cold be going on that the steward hadn't said. Standing up while quickly trying, with no success, to remove the stain, she, her siblings, and mother followed Baileywick to the throne room.

There, her father greeted his family with a smile and a good morning, gesturing for them all to sit in their respected thrones, while Baileywick had taken to standing on the sidelines next to Cedric, who, as usual, looked less than pleased to be dragged out of his tower for an unknown reason that could possibly have nothing to do with him. Sofia offered a smile to her mentor/friend before walking towards her father. They greeted him in their own ways and did so, however he stood when Sofia came up to kiss him good morning.

"Sofia, I have something for you," he said, giving her a fatherly smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I've realized how busy you've become and I wanted to find a way to help you with your tasks. And, most importantly, keep you safe," he explained. He looked towards Baileywick, giving him a nod that sent the steward walking briskly to the main entrance of the throne room. "You may come in now, miss."

All eyes fell upon a young lady, who quietly glided into the room, her shoes lightly clacking and her clothing shifting gracefully with her movements. She stopped a good distance away from the thrones, not quite reaching the steps as she came to a halt and gave a soft, mysterious yet kind smile.

The girl looked to be in the end of her teenage years, maybe eighteen at the oldest? She had long, oxford blue hair that was just slightly wavy trailing down most of her back, her skin was pale but not even close to looking sickly, she had faint, natural pink on her lips, and pale bluish-green eyes that glimmered brightly.

Her outfit was as regal and majestic as some of the finest gowns she had seen in her time as a princess. Her dress was a pale royal blue, barely hanging on her shoulders with golden leaf trimmings clustered to line the neck that showed a bit of a darker shade of blue before turning into its true base, some of the gold cascading down the sleeves that were just above her elbow. The chest of the dress had an emblem of sorts sewn in with some sort of material that blended in subtly, yet made it stood out and seem to change from white, faint gold, to faint blue in certain lighting, sowing a hear made of vine-like lines with a wing separate slightly on either side, swirls and sparks surrounding it with a circle in the center of the heart. Her dressed hugged at her slim waist, where the gold leaves sprouted from again upwards and downwards, however the downwards part was short in the front and center area, but as it wrapped around, it lengthened until it seemed to end halfway down the dress in the back. The hem of the skirt, which was different from Sofia's and Amber's as it was not puffed out but loose and flowing, was raised enough off the floor to show a bit of blue shoes of some sort, and the back had a bit of a train, barley skimming after its barer, with the bottom of the skirt melting from its pale blue shade to a cloud-like white. And on her chest, hanging from a silver chain, was a pendant of extreme beauty. The gem in the center an unnatural version of Persian blue, it shone a pale blue light, the top slightly carved to a point with oh-so-subtly, silver outlining it and covering the back, gold and silver creating beautiful wings on its sides. Gold ivy earrings wrapped around the rims of her ears and two simple bracelets adorned her wrists, one gold and the other silver.

Another attention grabber was the staff she held in her right hand. The girl was taller than Sofia, of course, ranging from 5'4" to 5'6" if she were wearing heels, and the staff was halfway above her head. It was a gold rod with silver and what seemed to be a few unfamiliar gemstones engraved in it subtly - that seemed to be a thing with her outfit, although her beauty was obvious, there was still all the subtly to it - and two silver wings sprouted upward, with rods of gold swirling around what seemed to be a pure white ball of light - though Sofia knew it was some sort of magical stone, judging by the feeling of magic waves emitting from it - joining at a small gold roof above the orb. And, to top off her look, she wore a navy blue cape that started with gold trimmings at the top that almost reminded the young princess of feathers over similar white trimmings, letting the dark shade of blue barely scrape the floor, shimmering and giving a slight dazzle in the current lighting that either suggested there were gems laced in it or magic was used in the making of it.

Everyone except Baileywick and Roland took a moment to gape at her, which luckily she hid any signs of discomfort if she had any. Roland nodded to the girl as he nudged his adoptive daughter forward, which she quickly agreed to after snapping out of her daze. She was arms length away from the girl, who was quite taller than her.

"Princess Sofia the First, meet Lady Kailin, your new lady in waiting," he said. Miranda looked at her husband in surprise, not sure whether to be thankful that Roland was doing something to help their busy daughter, or be a bit crossed that he didn't take it up with her. Amber looked a it astonished and annoyed, since she herself was a bit busy with all her social events and such. But then again, Sofia had more pressing and _dangerous _matters that definitely required more help than her balls and meetings with other royals. James took a moment to compose himself, the sight of the beautiful woman putting him back a bit, but honestly happy that his little sis was getting much needed help. Cedric, shocked and taken aback that the slight magic force he had been feeling since he awoke this morning being revealed to come from a single young lady, and being larger than he had first assumed. His annoyance that he was summoned for something as welcoming a newcomer was set aside for a moment, wondering where that seal on her clothing had been familiar to him, along with the pendant and staff.

"It is an honor to meet you, my Lady," Kailin said, bowing deeply, lifting her skirt lightly with one hand and keeping her grip on her staff with the other, snapping everyone out of their one-second trance. Her voice sounded a bit younger than she looked, almost like a fresh teenager. "U-um, to you as well," Sofia said, rushing to curtsy back, earning a soft chuckle from the rising lady. "No need to bow to me, my Lady. It is _I _who is serving _you, _after all," she said, still giving a soft smile. Her eyes, however, landed on the amulet, a flicker of something Sofia didn't have enough time to translate showing hin her eyes before they landed on the stain. "Here, allow me."

Moving her staff, she raised it in the air to let her grip slide further up for just a second, then waving it over the stain, muttering some sort of spell in a language Sofia did not recognize. A hazy golden-white light formed around the stain, and the liquid soon removed itself from the clothing, leaving no trace of the mark. However, she didn't stop there. Kailin had the juice float into the air just above them, and with one more word and flick of her staff, the juice transformed with a flash of light, turning back into several orange slices.

"Wow! Thank you, Miss Kailin!" Sofia said in pure awe. In the background she heard Cedric huff in annoyance, and she made a note to tease him later as she took the slices and began to eat them. "Please, my Lady, just Kailin will do. Unlike you, I have not important title to my name," the young woman said, returning to her original grip on her staff before bowing her head.

"Baileywick and I spent months trying to find the perfect lady in waiting for you, Sofia. We heard talk that a wanderer with intriguing powers was in Enchancia, so we sent word and she accepted to be interviewed this morning," Roland explained, gaining his daughter and her new servant's attention. "We chose her because we knew she was right for the duties you perform."

"Kailin," Roland said, his voice a bit more serious than before, "I will remind you of what this position as Princess Sofia's lady in waiting means before you officially become so: You will help Sofia in any and all tasks seen fit or necessary, from average everyday royal tasks to the duties she performs as Protector of our kingdom, no matter the dangers. However, I understand that you cannot interfere directly with her work at most times, you will do everything in your power to assist her throughout anything that troubles her." "Her burdens will become my burdens until lifted, sire," Kailin said, looking as serious as the king while Sofia stood to the side, the room silent.

"And, most importantly, you will do _everything _within your power to protect her, above all else. She's my daughter, if not by blood, then of heart. I care for her as much as my twins, Amber and James. The fact that she faces dangers and a majority of the unknown for the sake of others makes me proud as both her king and father... But as her father alone, it terrifies me that at such a young age she faces perilous dangers." "Of course, Your Majesty." "Which is why I want you to be fully aware that, by becoming Sofia's closest and most trusted servant, it will be expected of you to do _everything_ to see that she returns home safe, even at the cost of your own life. Do you understand?"

The room was silent. Amber and James sent worried glances at each other, both knowing full well of what kind of dangers Sofia would put herself in, either knowingly for a friend or possibly even a stranger, to unknowingly with just a simple innocent act of kindness. Miranda herself seemed worried, knowing just as much of the chaos that befell their family all too often. Baileywick went silent and neutral, standing in a serious manner with Cedric next to him, who was looking at the girl like a judge to an accused. Both had grown fond of the princess, but Cedric gained a friendship with her more than Baileywick could probably ever have after warming up to her. They'd both give their life for her. Cedric had made that clear quite well, that's for sure. Not just because it was their jobs, but because she had a place in both their hearts. If this new girl was to take this role, she'd better contribute to protecting her as much as they have, if not more.

Sofia herself stood still, waiting for the new, mysterious girl to answer. Slowly, Kailin turned to face her, her face calm and blank. She then bowed-no, _kneeled _before the smaller, younger princess, who stared at her with her owl-like eyes.

"I am at your command, my Princess. I will not fail you in your journeys, my Lady."

Sofia knew then and there she had made a loyal, trusting, and _powerful _friend that she was going to have so many fun adventures with.

* * *

Once introductions were over, the day was to go about normally. Sofia, accompanied by Kailin who followed closely behind her, with staff in hand, wanted to go on a ride with Minimus, since she seemed to not be needed for today. She'd thought she'd take the time to explain to her new magical friend her roles in the magical society of the realm and her powers granted by the Amulet of Avalor.

However, Amber was talking non-stop about Kailin's outfit and Cedric seemed suspicious of her.

"If you don't mind, Kailin, dear, you _must _tell me where you got that outfit and who made it. It is simply _divine," _Amber said, gazing longingly at the soft-looking silk. "I'm sorry, Princess Amber, but I am afraid that this dress was given to me without much detail. All I know is that it was made as if for royalty," the lady in waiting responded, giving an apologetic smile.

"What _I'd _like to know is where you could possibly learn such prowess, young lady," Cedric said, seeming crossed. "Ah, Cedric the Sensational. Your reputation is growing and hopefully isn't a lie. I'm a bit of a fan when it comes to your father. I believe I might've met him some time ago myself," Kailin said, giving a small smile towards the sorcerer. "Well, just know that _I'm _in charge of things when it comes to magic in this castle, _Kailin,"_ Cedric said, glaring at her as she smirked at his remark. Amber, Sofia noticed, had already left, probably bored as soon as Cedric began talking. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Come on, Mister Cedric, be nice!" she said, knowing the man couldn't turn down her requests for long. "It's not like I'm being rude. However, please so explain to me that emblem on your dress, your pendant, and staff are from. The fact that they are familiar is driving me ludicrously insane!" Kailin only shrugged at the annoyed sorcerer as they reached the stables, something flickering in her eyes once more before responding.

"No idea. All I know was they were gifts."

Cedric still refused to leave, even as Sofia left the stables dressed in her riding attire and a tacked up Minimus, giving Kailin a side glare.

"You know you don't need to be jealous," she said, surveying the small but professional-leveled course that was built for the girl. "Jealous?! I'm suspicious, that's what I am! For one, you do not even know the origins of your own magical items-""Which is the case for quite a few big-time wizardry, in my _defense.""-and_ you just happen to come to a kingdom that requires a servant of magical experience."

As Sofia mounted her trusty horse, Kailin gave a shrug that annoyed Cedric even farther. He stayed silent, however, as they watched Minimus effortlessly take flight. They watched them speed effortlessly through the course, the obsticals becoming more challenging but not quite dangerous that she couldn't handle herself.

"All I am saying is," he started, trying his hardest to keep his composure, "is that I care a great deal about Sofia. At one time, there wasn't even a bit of my heart that had sentiment towards her, and I made large and terrible mistakes, I will admit to that. But now, I-""Just want to keep her safe even though you attempted to steal her amulet?"

Cedric couldn't help but stare at the newcomer in shock. The finely dressed magic user didn't even look away from Sofia when answering, yet she wore a small smile on her face.

"Your reaction confirms what I have heard and what King Roland told me, I hope you know." It was then she turned to face him. "I may not have much information on my own artifacts, but any good person that has even the smallest profession in magic knows what untold powers the Amulet of Avalor has. I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted its power at one point."

Cedric looked the young lady up and down. He could feel waves of magical power radiating off of in large amounts. Sofia, dispite her growing capabilities in magic, obviously. If she did feel anything, it would be nothing compared to what she could truly feel if she were more grown in her capabilities. Cedric, however, could feel Kailin's almost intimidating magical aura, and even if she didn't have her staff and pendant she alone was close to being on Merlin's level!

"Don't worry, I won't be watching you every second of every day. I trust you are no longer like that," the lady in waiting said, and surprisingly, Cedric felt the anxiousness he didn't realize he had suddenly gained leave him. "But, I'd like to know, for my lady's sake, if you ever intend to rob her of her precious gem again."

It was then Sofia screamed. Both magic welders snapped their heads in time to se Minimus dodging a piece of equipment that had fallen. Unfortunately for his dear rider, the dodge had caused her to lose her grip long enough to fall off him at a great height.

"Sofia!" the royal sorcerer cried, running with wand in hand to soften her landing as much as possible. He was, however, too far, and wouldn't make it in time.

A streak of something blue, white, and gold rushed past him, stopping him dead in his tracks.

Sofia, on the other hand, waited silently and fearfully for the hard ground or some sort of spell Cedric would use to give her some sort of cusion, but she knew she was too far down the track for him or anyone else to reach her in time. So that's why she was so surprised to feel something soft and comforting wrapped around her.

"Are you alright, my Lady?!"

Cracking her eyes open carefully, Sofia was greeted by the mysterious, sparkling pendant that belonged to Kailin. Looking up in suprise, she was greeted by a worried Kailin. Not only that, but her once beautiful cape was now a set of wings, starting a bit golden, then white, then a majority the same shimmery dark blue.

"Woah," was all Sofia could manage to say, the rush of fear barely wearing off. "Heh, I'll take that as a yes, then," Kailin chuckled, looking relieved. Slowly, the older girl lowered them to the ground, where a panting Cedric greeted them.

"A... are you alright, Princess?" he asked, gaining his breath back. "I'm alright, Mister Cedric," she said, giving him a reassuring smile as Kailin set her down, wincing a bit when her left ankle began to sting. "Here, let me take a look," the lady in waiting said, kneeling to inspect the injury. They were silent for a moment before Kailin pushed herself back to standing, brushing off any dirt from her dress.

"Doesn't appear to be anything more than a sprain," she said, bringing relief to the group as Minimis landed. "I can easily heal it, however it will be a bit painful. Cedric, you wouldn't happen to have-""any pain relief herbs? You're lucky I just stocked up last week," th sorcerer nodded, walking off to his tower. "I'm honestly suprised he didn't have any reaction to my wings. Probably thinks they're enchanted or that I'm some sort of fairy or something," Kailin said, smiling as Minimus rushed to Sofia's side, apologizing to his rider a million times as Kailin helped her on again and led them back to the stable.

"I guess I should thank you, new girl who I don't know and doesn't even know I'm talking," Minimus said as Sofia sat kn a bench while Kailin tended to him. "It was nothing," she said back, surprising both of them. She only giggled as she sent a wink towards Sofia, who giggled at the fact that she was learning some interesting traits her new lady in waiting had.

"So you have wings?" "Yes, Princess. Does that fact bother you?" "No, not at all!" Sofia rushed to say. "But... are they real or some kind of magic? And how can you understand Minimus?"

Kailin seemed to go over something in her head as she unfastened the saddle, then waved her staff to cast a spell on it, having it levitate to its designated place. As it did so, Kailin moved to sit next to Sofia, where she leaned her staff against the seat, her wings returning to look like a cape as she took off her pendant, its gem catching the light and giving off a pale, almost white blue shine, mixed with a bit of rose and regular gold shine.

"You are wearing the Amulet of Avalor, correct? Well, my pendant shares a similarity towards yours, except it wasn't made in Maru. Have you ever heard of the Lost Kingdom?" "I know several lost kingdoms. Which-""No, no, my Lady, the _Lost Kingdom._ That is the title it bas been known most commonly by for almost two centuries. It was once said to be as powerful and magical as the aincent Maru kingdom, though it did last quite longer. And no kingdom replaced it after. My pendant and my staff originate there," she said, smiling softly as she gazed at her pendant.

"It is said that the Lost Kingdom is the longest lasting kingdom of aincent times, lasting because of its knowledge of any and all lands of the realm. They say it was made of beautiful minerals of earth that were more beautiful than the finest gems, quartz and diamonds in the world, and that their people were all tied to magic. In fact, so tied into magic that they could live for quite a few centuries, more than any other sorcerer, sorceress, witch, and wizard. It was even said they could control how old they looked after a certain time until another. It is said that their magic was more powerful than Maru itself, though they both were equals on that pillar."

"What happened to them? Why are they not well known now?" Sofia couldn't help but ask, staring with wide-eyed wonder as she gazed at the pendant. It faltered a bit when she saw Kailin go somber. "No one knows," she answered quietly. "Although they shared a good amount of knowledge and traveled a lot, the people were private, keeping much knowledge originating from their kingdom to themselves, and hardly anyone that wasn't high in society had seen the kingdom. Even that was rare. One day, they all went back to their kingdom, it seemed, and disappeared. They left practically nothing in their wakes, much like Maru did."

"Except your staff and pendant," the little princess concluded, glancing at the staff for a moment. "Yup. But my pendant was like a rod to me, helping me with honing my magic skills and assisting me with many thing, similar to your amulet. While it is powerful on it's own, I only use a fraction of its power at most. It's blessed me with many capabilities much like your amulet," she said, smiling sadly as she hung the pendant around her neck again, her wings shifting to let it rest fully against her chest before retaking their fabric-like appearance.

"So your pendant..." "Granted my wings? Haha, sorry, but no. Those have been a part of me since I could remember," she said, fingering the wings on her pendant. Before Sofia could question further, Cedric reappeared, holding some sort of leaf in his hand.

"Thank you, Cedric. Here, bite on this while I heal your foot," kailin ordered, taking the lead from Cedric and handing it to Sofia, who did as told. The leaf was unpleasantly bitter and felt like it had been soaked in something just as equally bitter. Her discomfort increased as Kailin held her hand over the injury, a bright light forming from it and healing her sprain.

"Can I have something less bitter next time?" Sofia joked when it was over, back in her regular clothing and Cedric gone, having retreated to his tower for the rest of the day. "Sorry, but I found that the more bitterness, the better," Kailin said, laughing a bit.

* * *

That night, with the assistance of Robin, Mia, and Kailin, Sofia prepared for bed. Wearing her nightgown, the young princess watched her new lady in waiting brush her hair through the mirror. Sofia talked to the girl about anything that came to mind, earning laughs and funny responses from the girl.

"Well, Princess, it's time for bed. Do you require anything else?" Kailin asked, placing the brush down while Sofia went to her bed, her energy mostly spent. "Well, there is one thing," Sofia said, crawling into bed while Kailin grabbed her staff and stood a good distance away. "And that is?" "Call me Sofia, please. We're friends now, after all."

Kailin stayed silent for a moment, before giving another soft smile and a small curtsy.

"Of course we are. Goodnight, Sofia. May your dreams be bright and peaceful."

With that and a wave of her staff, Kailin turned off the lights and exited the room, shutting the door carefully behind her. Sighing lightly, she smiled calmly as she walked down the quiet hall, the only sound coming from her footsteps and the light sound of her staff tapping the floor. She nodded to a few servants, stopping to chat a bit here and there and become acquaintance with the workers. After all, if she were to serve the youngest princess to the best of her abilities, she had to be on everyone's good side. It wasn't that she was a difficult person to befriend, it was just that for most of her life, Kailin was a bit of a wallflower, not very keen with the idea of socializing but will do so mostly with ease when needed.

She had just bade goodnight to some of the maids when Baileywick walked up to her.

"Good evening, Kailin. I trust your first day went smoothly?" "I'd say that. Nothing happened that I couldn't handle. Is there something wrong?" Kailin asked. "Not at all. All your belongings were brought to your personal tower. We thought it best you'd like to set everything to your own liking." "Thank you, Baileywick. The princess is in bed and most likely asleep by now,, so is there anything else left to do?" "Not at the moment. The king, however, would like to have a quick word with you in his study before you retire."

Kailin nodded, hoping that it was all good things that the king wishes to speak about. Wishing Baileywick good night, she walked towards the king's study. However, she found she took a wrong turn and got lost halfway along the way. Before she could just do a teleportation spell, however, the queen just happened to walk by.

"Oh, Kailin! What are you doing here?" "Ah, forgive me, Your Majesty. Your husband requested my audience in his study and I seemed to have lost my way a few turns back," Kailin apologized, bowing to Miranda. "Don't worry, dear, it's no big deal. Here, I'll lead you." Gesturing for her to follow, Miranda led the way to Roland's study.

"Sofia used to get lost quite a bit when we first came to the castle. She was so scared about being a princess. But you look at her now and you would never have guessed that," Miranda said, smiling at the memories of her and her daughter. "She's quite the girl, my Queen. Enchancia is lucky to have a princess like her," Kailin said, smiling softly. "You must be so proud of her."

"I am. And your parents must be proud of you for your abilities and position as a lady in waiting," Miranda said, not noticing the falter in Kailin's calm face. "Yes..."

Before the conversation could go further, they reached the study and Miranda bade Kailin good night, leaving her alone. Kailin took a deep breath before knocking on the grand door. She had no idea why she was nervous about an audience with the king. She's faced quite a bit in her travels, and an enraged king is certainly not close to being the top scariest things she's seen.

"Come in," she heard through the door. Releasing the breath that she had been holding shortly, the lady in waiting pushed the door open, being greeted by the king at his desk doing paperwork. "Ah, Kailin, I'm glad Baileywick caught you before you went to bed. I wanted to ask you about how your first day was," he said, smiling as he placed his pen down and gestured for her to sit in the chair in front of him, which she took.

"I hope everything went smoothly with your new job and that you got to know Sofia and vice versa." "Yes, sir. She's a great girl, and an even greater princess. She's destined for great things and I can tell that everyone loves her very much," Kailin said, smiling as she fingered her pendant. "It's funny how she can worm your way into your heart so easily," she said, earning a smile from the king. "Indeed. There will be a few more things for you to do and assist with, but that's for tomorrow. Go and get some rest." "Goodnight, Your Majesty."

With a curtsy, she left the king to finish his work and to retreat to her newest abode. She was once again greeted by silence, and she found it comforting. She walked calmly, savoring the silence, save for the occasional servant doing night rounds. She finally reached her new tower when she heard a voice.

"No, to answer your question from earlier."

Kailin immediately turned around, aiming her staff at her follower. The light from its magic orb glowed, a faint sizzling sound coming from it as it illuminated the dim hallway. The light revealed a calm yet slightly annoyed face, the staff being inches away from his face.

"You can put that down, you know. It's not like I'm gonna hurt you or anything at the moment," Cedric said, using the tip of his wand to gently push the staff down. "Guess I scare easily when someone sneaks up on me in the night, " the young lady said, lowering her staff. It's light was bright enough for both of them to be equally visible to each other, but the sizzling had ceased. "What was it you were saying?" The royal sorcerer merely rolled his eyes, arms crossing over his chest and wand still in hand.

"Earlier, before Sofia fell from her horse, you asked if I ever intend to steal the amulet from her again. I just want to make it very clear, young lady," he said, going serious as he stepped closer, with Kailin not showing any signs of fear or worry, "that I left that dark path and intend to never go back. It nearly cost me my life to regain trust and respect from everyone in this castle, and Sofia is the reason why such happened and why I will do it again if necessary. She is the one whom had given me a second chance that matters the most in my opinion. I do not intend to squander our bond now, or ever. However, I am curious about you."

Kailin's stance, her aura, flickered just a bit. For a split second, fear, worry, paranoia, and other panicky feelings filled her that it would take someone with unimaginable senses to notice it. However, years had taught her not to give in easily. She knew how to pass a bluff, lie, or fib.

"I have no idea what you're implying, but I know that whatever is going on in your mind is most likely wrong, Cedric," she said, no change in her tone. "Really? The fabled _Lost Kingdom_? A fairy tale only few know of, even in the magical society? A rumor that is a ghost itself, said to hold powers that could oppose Maru in both prowess _and_ secerecy? With Maru, we know far more than the Lost, yet you have two of its artifacts in hand and seem to know how to handle them quite well." "I told you, they were gifts!"

Cedric looked at the girl with critical eyes. Her stance was calm, but her eyes burned with fury, the light catching in them in an odd way. He sighed, trying to go about this in a civilized manner.

"Look, all I am saying is that you're luck they trust you after their debacle with me. And I suggest you don't ever try to do anything that will cause it to be broken. Especially to our youngest princess." "Trust me, Cedric, I will never stoop that low," Kailin nearly growled, her gaze turning into a full glare. "You must understand that because of your mysterious arrival and the fact that you have two magical artifacts and yet know little of them brings suspicion." "Of course. But wouldn't I have done something vile with all the knowledge of having all this power already?" "Maybe you are waiting for your moment to strike." "I have goals, Cedric, but Enchancia and its throne is not one of them. We both know that with a simple utter of a good spell and a stamp of my staff, my only obstical at this moment to the throne would be you, and that would go down rather cruel on both sides." "Good. Then please forgive my words. I tend to become a bit protective of my friend. Good night, Kailin." "Good night, sir."

Kailin watched as Cedric walked out of her light, heading back to his tower and leaving Kailin alone. Sighing, the young lady finally opened the door to her new home. The tower's walls were a bit lighter, less grim-looking compared to Cedric's. There was a small, simple oak staircase that lead to a little platform with a large window, with her ivory white and gold telescope set near the closed velvet red curtains. There was a workbench, a desk where her case full of books was-though she shrunk it a bit and made it lighter than it truly is for the sake of the kind people meant who were tasked with bringing her luggage. With a wave of her staff, the case enlarged and opened, books flying out of it and placing themselves in her preferred placement in oak bookshelves carved into the walls. With another wave, she placed all other items in her luggage around the room, yawning as everything was set in place and the bags with bedroom materials and clothing into the next room.

Soon, her room was to her liking and she had changed into a simple white nightgown with blue spaghetti straps and a royal blue ribbon tied just bellow her chest and a few strands of hair falling into her sleepy eyes, her pendant still hanging from her neck. Her bed was a decent size and next to a window, with sheets she enchanted to have the same crest on her dress in a shimmering blue. Silently, she placed her staff in a protective cases and crawled into bed, falling asleep.

Enchancia had just gained an interesting citizen.


End file.
